Computer data centers are facilities that contain racks or shelves of computer systems and their associated components such as power supplies and telecommunications systems. Large data centers house hundreds, often thousands, of separate computers, which are connected for communications with computers in the data center and with telecommunication networks such as the Internet, thereby forming the essential infrastructure of “cloud computing.” The racks of computers often extend from floor to ceiling, mounted atop hollow flooring structures called plenums that route cooling air to the various racks, with heat removal vents positioned above the racks. A facility housing thousands of computers uses many kilowatts of electricity and generates large amounts of heat that must be removed so that the computers can operate within their specified ranges of operating temperatures.
Space, cooling, power cabling, and communications cabling requirements are therefore critical for modern data centers. Floor space in terms of square feet footprint per rack and height requirements for each rack of computers are limited, so as to provide required cooling air and power requirements, as well as security within physical cages and accessibility for configuration and maintenance.
One particular type of computer that is popular for certain computing applications is the APPLE® Mac Pro, manufactured by Apple, Inc., Cupertino, Calif. The Mac Pro is considered a workstation or server computer but does not include a display, keyboard, or mouse. Although the Mac Pro computer is not typically considered to be a data center type computer device, it possesses certain features that make it desirable for deployment in data centers.
For example, the Mac Pro computer's processor and associated internal peripheral circuitry make it highly suitable for hosting development environments for the APPLE® computing infrastructure and environment, which is built around the OS X operating system (and expected successors to OS X) for enterprise and personal computing, and the iOS operating system for mobile devices from Apple, Inc., such as the iPhone and iPad. Other conventional types of computer systems, because they lack the unique circuitry and components of the Apple computing environment, are not readily capable of running OS X or certain iOS development platforms. Thus, the Mac Pro computer is highly capable of serving data center needs for conventional data center computing requirements, as well as specialized service to the OS X and iOS development communities.
In contrast, however, the cylindrical form of the Mac Pro computer is not readily suitable for deployment in data centers that typically house a number of standard computer housings or enclosures called a “rack unit”. A typical rack unit is 19 inches wide by 1.75 inches high (with sometimes varying depths), which is considered a “1 U”. The Mac Pro computer is manufactured in a cylindrical form that is configured to be oriented in an upright position, which minimizes the footprint of the Mac Pro computer on a desk. The cylindrical Mac Pro computer is not a standard “U” type enclosure or housing and thus presents certain mounting configuration challenges.
Further, the Mac Pro computer is manufactured with one internal thermal core at its center and a single fan positioned at its top end (when oriented upright) that draws air up through the bottom end of the Mac Pro computer, past the thermal core, and out the top of the Mac Pro computer. Finally, the Mac Pro computer is manufactured with one panel containing controls and communication and power ports for the Mac Pro computer, which extends axially along an arc on the circumference of the cylindrical form.
As a result of increasing demand by the OS X and iOS developers' community, there is a need for a data center that can efficiently house computer systems that can provide OS X-compatible hosting environments, as well as other cloud-based computing requirements. The present disclosure relates to a highly space and thermal-efficient data center computer rack mounting arrangement that provides for maximized usage of computer enclosures that are not standard “U” type configurations, such as Mac Pro computers.
Examples of computer center data racks that house Mac Pro and Mac mini computers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,756,765 and 9,763,354 and D761,246 and D762,217, which are owned by the same assignee as the present application. The present disclosure provides certain novel and nonobvious improvements and enhancements to the computer center data racks disclosed in these patents.